Burma's exile media groups can begin applying
to establish their operations within the country as the government prepares a
new media law lifting most restrictions, the country's censorship chief said on
Wednesday.
Many
exile journalists had returned to Burma in recent months to gauge the new
environment amid initial reforms introduced by the nominally civilian
government of President Thein Sein. They had been granted visas to visit for
the first time in decades.
But
there have been no moves by the government to give these groups permission to
open offices in the country.
Tint
Swe, director of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD), told
RFA's Burmese service that approval for the exile media groups to operate in
Burma will be based on the proposals they make.
He said
the groups should explain to the government "how to implement their
operations in the country first [and] our side would have to approve based on
the proposals."
"I
think exile media will start applying for that privilege and we will give
permission as well in the near future," he said.
When
asked whether the government will make an announcement on when exile media can
apply for permission to operate within the country, Tint Swe said, "No, we
won't have any announcement for that."
"For
your part, you should tell us what you want to do and apply for it, that's all
you need to do. I don't think it is necessary to tell you when you should
apply. You should start doing it now."
Among
Burmese exile media groups are The Irrawaddy, an online publication based in
Thailand, India-based Mizzima News Agency and the Norway-based Democratic Voice
of Burma, broadcasting for two decades into one of the world's most oppressed
nations.
New law
Officials
have said that censorship would be abolished when a new media law is introduced
this year as part of government reforms.
"Exciting
indeed, but this remark does not really change skeptics into enlightened
believers," Aung Zaw, editor of The Irrawaddy, wrote this month after
returning to his home country after 25 years of exile following his flight to
escape arrest.
"Deep-seated
doubts linger as many in the sector share a feeling that the government will
find a way to continue controlling the media. Burma still has several draconian
security laws and a notorious Electronic Act that can arrest and detain anyone,
including journalists, without due process," he said.
Burma
is still ranked 169 out of 179 countries in terms of press freedom, according
to an index by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders published in January.
Tint
Swe said the new media law being framed will be comprehensive and completed
this year with provisions for allowing independent newspapers and a
self-governing press council.
"New
press laws will include registration [for] media and press council. So, I think
the new laws will be comprehensive. We have consulted many laws from other
post-transitional countries, therefore I think that new laws would be
comprehensive," he said. "For media, there will be clear descriptions
of their responsibilities and the laws that they should follow."
The
attorney general’s office has already reviewed the first draft of the media law
and a second draft is now being completed with input from UNESCO experts, a
recently held media conference, and domestic groups, Ye Htut, the director
general of the Information and Public Relations Division of the Ministry of
Information, said earlier this month.
He said
that the Burmese government’s approach to drafting its new media law is based
on a “two-track strategy” – first preparing a new print media law and second a
gradual relaxation of restrictions to prepare for a new media environment. The
law is currently in the second stage of drafting, the Mizzima News Agency
reported.
'No restrictions'
Tint
Swe rejected suggestions that the new media law will be used to control freedom
of speech.
"We
must have freedom of expression, according to our approved constitution. Based
on that, we want to make clear to everyone that unlike the 1962 [framed] laws,
there will be no more restrictions in the future."
The
repressive Printers and Publishers Registration Act was enacted in Burma after
a 1962 military coup.
Asked
to elaborate on the press council proposed by President Thein Sein recently,
Tint Swe said it was in line with the practice of other countries which had
bodies to maintain media standards.
"The
Press Council or Complaint Committee is a standard body that many countries
have. Some countries don't even have one, but somehow there is a control
mechanism. In my own opinion, the Press Council should be directed freely
without government involvement," he said.
Thein
Sein had said that the press council can ensure liberty and accountability with
a check and balance system in line with democratic practices, reports have
said.
Kyaw
Kyaw Aung
Mizzima
News
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